It's just me, trying out tutorials. What works, what doesn't work, and what just got a new spin to it.
After all, nobody needs to reinvent the wheel.

A little bit about me.

I love tutorials. If I follow a tutorial, even if I don't do it perfectly, I always link to theirs. All photographs are mine, are never taken from the original tutorial, and are never as good as the original.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

2010 Wrap-Up

I read a lot of books in 2010, and kept track of them using Goodreads. I didn't write a review for every book, but I did give each one a rating - between 1 and 5 stars. To further confuse things, my ratings are biased and unprofessional. After all, I'm an amateur reader who reads for pleasure. The bias part comes into play when I have expectations. I expect certain beloved authors books to be better, and judge them more harshly when they fall short. I expect to enjoy certain genres more than others, so when I really adore a chick lit book, I'm pretty shocked and rate it highly. I rate non-fiction not only by how much I learned about the topic, but also by how the author kept me interested in the subject.

Some of these books were Advanced Readers Copies. All ARCs I received as part of a giveaway on another blog, as part of an 'ARC Tour' organized by another blog or a Goodreads ARC winner, or that I won myself on Goodreads. None of these books were recieved from publishers or compensation for any ratings/reviews were received.

So here goes, listed arbitrarily by rating.

5 Star Books read in 2010:

1. Mothers and Other Liars by Amy Bourret - general fiction2. Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn - young adult3. The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson - mystery4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - science fiction and fantasy5. Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War by Evan Wright - nonfiction6. The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer - thriller7. Dracula by Brahm Stoker - classic8. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane - thriller9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - young adult10. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - young adult11. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - young adult12. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - young adult13. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - general fiction14. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain - memoir15. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - dystopian16. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami - young adult17. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - general fiction18. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green - young adult19. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - general fiction20. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - general fiction21. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness - young adult22. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach - nonfiction23. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - young adult24. Stardust by Neil Gaiman - science fiction and fantasy

4 Star Books read in 2010:25. The Passage by Justin Cronin - dystopian26. Marked by P.C. Cast - young adult27. Betrayed by P.C. Cast - young adult28. Hunted by P.C. Cast - young adult29. Bag of Bones by Stephen King - horror30. The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones by Anthony Bourdain - memoir31. The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell - general fiction32. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon - romance33. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - young adult34. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare - young adult35. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - young adult36. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King - horror37. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - young adult38. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater - young adult39. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - classic40. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - thriller41. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - young adult42. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia - young adult43. Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier - historical fiction44. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - classic45. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - children's46. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding - chick lit47. One For the Money by Janet Evanovich - mystery48. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordian - children's49. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordian - children's50. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordian - children's51. The Girl who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen - general fiction52. Watchmen by Alan Moore - graphic novel53. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - historical fiction54. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - young adult55. Frostbite by Richelle Mead - young adult56. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead - young adult57. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead - young adult58. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - young adult59. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - classic60. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - historical fiction61. The Giver by Lois Lowry - dystopian62. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty - young adult63. Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty - young adult64. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - general fiction65. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson - thriller66. Uglies by Scott Westerfield - young adult67. Pretties by Scott Westerfield - young adult68. Specials by Scott Weterfield - young adult69. Extras by Scott Westerfield - young adult70. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger - horror71. It by Stephen King - horror

3 Star Books read in 2010:72. Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast - young adult73. Untamed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast - young adult74. Burned by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast - young adult75. Invisible Energy by David Goldstein - nonfiction76. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater - young adult77. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich - mystery78. Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich - mystery79. Four to Score by Janet Evanovich - mystery80. Lisey's Story by Stephen King - horror81. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer - young adult82. Last Time Out: Big League Farewells of Baseball's Greatest by John Nogowski - nonfiction83. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters - G&L fiction84. Persuasion by Jane Austen - classic85. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel - general fiction86. Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte - nonfiction87. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer - nonfiction88. Life of Pi by Yann Martel - general fiction89. Rides a Hero by Heather Graham Pozzessere - romance90. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - classic91. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - poetry92. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordian - children's93. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordian - children's94. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty - young adult95. The Shack by William P. Young - religious fiction96. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice - horror97. Truly Madly Yours by Rachel Gibson - romance98. Hunter Fear by Kay Hooper - mystery99. Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster - memoir100. The Science of Fear by Dan Gardner - nonfiction101. An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy by Robert Dallek - nonfiction

2 Star Books Read in 2010:102. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen - young adult103. The Bread of Angels by Stephanie Saldana - memoir104. The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson - memoir105. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - classic106. Twinkie, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger - nonfiction107. Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty - young adult108. The City and The City by China Mieville - thriller109. In the Woods by Tana French - thriller